Kiribati, officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The country's 33 atolls are scattered over 1,351,000 square miles (3,500,000 km²) near the equator. Its name is pronounced ['kiribas] and is a Kiribati language rendering of "Gilberts", the English name for the main group of islands: the former Gilbert Islands. In Gilbertese there is no letter 's', the sound being represented by 'ti'. That is why the Pacific Island known as Christmas Island is known in the language of Kiribati as Kiritimati Island. This island should not be confused with the Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, which is administered by Australia.